Carnival Pride Review, Sep 7-14, 2014

[whitecap]

Carnival Pride, September 7th through 14th, 2014

Parking and Security:

This was our second cruise on the Pride and second departure from Baltimore. We arrived at the terminal about 10:20am and were directed to a short line of other vehicles. Parking lot opened about 10:50am and we were able to drop luggage and park within minutes. Once in the terminal it was time to go through security. We learned from our first cruise that security at Baltimore will inspect all drinks, soda, water and wine so this time we packed a small suit case with our soda, water and wine to make it easy; open suit case, clearly see each can of soda, each bottle of water and the two bottles of wine were in travel diaper bags; security guard removed each can of soda and looked at both ends then shook each bottle of water and completely missed the two bottles of wine. Of course she had a lot of trouble getting everything back in the suitcase. Those who were carrying 12/24 packs of soda or water had the packages opened and each item checked, replaced and the packages taped.

Once in the terminal we found that no changes had been made from our last trip. The terminal is older, smaller and could use some updating. The wait wasn’t very bad and we were boarding just prior to 1:00pm and decided to check to see if the cabin was ready; it was ready and we placed our carry on bag inside and headed for lunch.

Food:

On our last Pride cruise the food was, we’ll say, not very good. This trip we found the food to be fair to very good both in the buffet and the dinning room. One complaint that remained from last cruise was the salt shakers especially those on the outside tables. We found on the first cruise that many were not dispensing salt, so we removed the caps and found them clogged with rust and salt, the result of using aluminum capped containers. We made a point of checking as many as we could and leaving the rusted caps on the table for the food staff to see. This trip we found the exact same problem and even noticed that several salt shakers had rust actually inside the class which indicated that the containers themselves had not been cleaned/washed in some time. We also found, like with out first cruise, the “sauces” are very watered down; cheese sauce at grill, chocolate/caramel and butterscotch at desert bar. Not very appetizing. Salad bar we found to be wonderful and with lots of variety. Deli had the best sandwiches and pizza was fair. Breakfast made to order omelets were very good as was the rest of the normal breakfast meats, pancakes etc. Coffee could be hit and miss. Sometimes very bitter and other times good but several machines were not working.

Cabin:

We actually had the cabin next door to the cabin we had on our first cruise so knew what to expect concerning room size, balcony etc. Cabin appeared not to have been “thoroughly cleaned” in a long time. Wife went to move the phone and realized that the frame of the mirror was literally “caked” in dust. Rubbed a finger along the edge and it covered the tip of her finger. Several other areas of the cabin were the same including the headboard. We dusted. The balcony is small but adequate for the two of us and we enjoyed our evenings (with exception as noted below). Room steward was very nice and kept us supplied with ice as requested. Bed was confortable and the location of the cabin great.

Now there is still a policy that allows smoking on the balcony, which will be changing in October 2014 and again we knew what to expect. We did have one neighbor who smoked a couple of times but we just went in until he finished and then went back out; however, several cabins down and we don’t want to repeat the names we heard (cabin 6192) were the worst. At least four adults, two older, and at least one child and I concluded they were from Pennsylvania. The younger male adult had a vocabulary, which consisted of the use of the F word, MF word and S word. The older adult male would follow with the same language followed by the two adult females and none of them knew that the purpose of placing two door handles on a door. Simple, one handle inside and one outside, designed to hold the door and close it quietly, a process that eluded all of them. On Thursday of the cruise someone finally had enough and called security. As we were leaving for dinner they were at the cabin (6192) door. The rest of Thursday evening and night was quiet. Friday leaving Freeport the occupants of (6192) the cabin had apparently partied a little too much again and it was worse then before. Apparently a second complaint was made to Guest Services and Security apparently made a more lasting impression, as we heard nothing further from the occupants for the remainder of the cruise.

Entertainment:

We attended three of the production shows and three of the comedy shows. The comedians were pretty good and kept the crowd active in the act. The production shows were, subjective I know, but not very good. The main male and female singers were not good together on most songs and the male was not good with most songs. The dancers appeared to be not coordinated in their movements and in two shows dancers fell (not ship movement as seas were like glass).

Staff:

Very pleasant and helpful and most were always smiling and greeted you as they approached.

Disembarkation:

Chaotic. We were “Self Assist” and told to be on deck 2 by 9:15am. We arrived at 8:45am and were told to wait in the theater. At 9:15am they called for “Self Assist” from deck 1, thirty minutes later, deck 8, later deck 4, then 7, then 5; finally at 10:30am deck 6 finally got the call.

Ship:

The ship is older and is in need of cosmetic work, scraping, fresh paint etc. I understand that the ship will undergo rehab in October 2014 and receive some of the new upgrades.

All in all we had a nice 7 day cruise and will do this trip again once the upgrades are made.

[champagne123]

Sorry. I had to laugh about you removing all of the salt shaker tops. Who does that??? Lol

Thank you for your review. It was enlightening :)

[whitecap]

Sorry. I had to laugh about you removing all of the salt shaker tops. Who does that??? Lol

Thank you for your review. It was enlightening :)

 

We thought it pretty funny too! A couple of times wait staff would be standing close by and watch us, some would smile and walk away, others would just walk away. We would strike the cap on the table which would produce a small pile of "rusted salt" on the table.

Edited September 15, 2014 by whitecap

[Grannycb]

Thanks for the review. It's always interesting to read what other people thought of the same sailing. We had some of the same experiences, but some different ones too. I hope you don't mind if I share some here.

 

Cleaning wasn't perfect in our cabin either. There was trash from a previous occupant under our bed and the bunk bed ladder was left out between beds. (I found it with my foot, which is now black and blue.) I wasn't impressed by the cabin steward. This is the first time we didn't tip extra at the end of the cruise. Maybe he had too many cabins?

 

The food I had was great. Lunch was at the Chopstick section of the Mermaid Grill almost every day. They have toned down the hot spices since our last trip on Pride. It's the first place I intend to go back to next time we are on the ship. Love that food! The steakhouse was outstanding as usual. MDR food was pretty good. Service was terrific in the Any Time section. Jordon, Reynaldo, and Camilo were outstanding with their service. Loved the comedian stopping by different tables to perform magic acts. The little kids loved it, adult kids too.

 

We went to the first performances of the first two shows. The dancing and singing were very enjoyable. We didn't see anyone fall or go off their music. The dancing was strong and full of energy. We must have gone at different times from the OP.

 

We took advantage of the mini martini tasting. The price was $17 for 4 martinis. There were a total of 8 different flavors we could try. We wanted to try them all but discovered 8 drinks for 2 people was more than enough. Some flavors we enjoyed, others were too sweet.

 

The Comedy Club was a real treat for my DH. He wanted to be there for every show. The adult comedy was pretty good without been filled with dirty words or filth during the shows we attended. I'm not a big comedy fan but enjoyed it anyway.

 

Karaoke was surprisingly good. One of the comedians dropped by to sing with the passengers. He had a wonderful voice. On the topic of music, we really enjoyed the Beatles and MoTown trivia. Pickles was filled with enthusiasm that added to the fun. I couldn't believe how well versed some passengers were on their music!

 

We had FTTF. Arrival at the port was at noon. We boarded at 12:30. The later arrival worked out very well. Our cabin was ready and one of the suitcases was waiting. It took a little longer for the second one to appear. FTTF worked great for the tender port at Half Moon Cay. We were on the first tender and able to get a clamshell in our preferred location. Debarkation was fine. We waited in the Auxiliary Dining Room until called at 10:45.

 

Sailing into Baltimore had the added advantage this time with the Tall Ships in town for the anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner. We went past several with their sails billowing. I wish I'd had my good camera instead of the iPod to take pictures.

[ALWAYZCRUISEN]

I'll be on the pride in 13 days and I will check the salt shakers, I don't want to eat rusted salt. Thanks for the info.

[champagne123]

I'll be on the pride in 13 days and I will check the salt shakers, I don't want to eat rusted salt. Thanks for the info.

 

I won't be there until the end of November after the upgrades. Maybe they will be replaced by then. :)

Edited September 15, 2014 by champagne123
Aaess

[whitecap]

Thanks for the review. It's always interesting to read what other people thought of the same sailing. We had some of the same experiences, but some different ones too. I hope you don't mind if I share some here.

 

Cleaning wasn't perfect in our cabin either. There was trash from a previous occupant under our bed and the bunk bed ladder was left out between beds. (I found it with my foot, which is now black and blue.) I wasn't impressed by the cabin steward. This is the first time we didn't tip extra at the end of the cruise. Maybe he had too many cabins?

 

The food I had was great. Lunch was at the Chopstick section of the Mermaid Grill almost every day. They have toned down the hot spices since our last trip on Pride. It's the first place I intend to go back to next time we are on the ship. Love that food! The steakhouse was outstanding as usual. MDR food was pretty good. Service was terrific in the Any Time section. Jordon, Reynaldo, and Camilo were outstanding with their service. Loved the comedian stopping by different tables to perform magic acts. The little kids loved it, adult kids too.

 

We went to the first performances of the first two shows. The dancing and singing were very enjoyable. We didn't see anyone fall or go off their music. The dancing was strong and full of energy. We must have gone at different times from the OP.

 

We took advantage of the mini martini tasting. The price was $17 for 4 martinis. There were a total of 8 different flavors we could try. We wanted to try them all but discovered 8 drinks for 2 people was more than enough. Some flavors we enjoyed, others were too sweet.

 

The Comedy Club was a real treat for my DH. He wanted to be there for every show. The adult comedy was pretty good without been filled with dirty words or filth during the shows we attended. I'm not a big comedy fan but enjoyed it anyway.

 

Karaoke was surprisingly good. One of the comedians dropped by to sing with the passengers. He had a wonderful voice. On the topic of music, we really enjoyed the Beatles and MoTown trivia. Pickles was filled with enthusiasm that added to the fun. I couldn't believe how well versed some passengers were on their music!

 

We had FTTF. Arrival at the port was at noon. We boarded at 12:30. The later arrival worked out very well. Our cabin was ready and one of the suitcases was waiting. It took a little longer for the second one to appear. FTTF worked great for the tender port at Half Moon Cay. We were on the first tender and able to get a clamshell in our preferred location. Debarkation was fine. We waited in the Auxiliary Dining Room until called at 10:45.

 

Sailing into Baltimore had the added advantage this time with the Tall Ships in town for the anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner. We went past several with their sails billowing. I wish I'd had my good camera instead of the iPod to take pictures.

 

Yes, I did forget about Chopsticks. It was very good especially on Saturday when they had crispy chicken. Mouth watering just thinking about it.

[Brighton Line]

I'll be on the pride in 13 days and I will check the salt shakers, I don't want to eat rusted salt. Thanks for the info.

 

6 days for me to be on the Pride. Thank you for the review and I too will now check the salt shakers. This might go viral on CC like when they instituted the Bacon Police!!

 

FWIW

[Grannycb]

OP - Did you get to the piano bar? What did you think? We were there for only a few minutes before finding something more entertaining to do.

[KevInPitt]

6 days for me to be on the Pride. Thank you for the review and I too will now check the salt shakers. This might go viral on CC like when they instituted the Bacon Police!!

 

FWIW

 

I'll be on the Pride October 12 - first thing I'll check at dinner are those salt shakers! :D

[whitecap]

OP - Did you get to the piano bar? What did you think? We were there for only a few minutes before finding something more entertaining to do.

 

Stopped, listened for a few minutes, then moved on. We spent a lot of the time watching the outdoor activities around the pool.

[whitecap]

I'll be on the Pride October 12 - first thing I'll check at dinner are those salt shakers! :D

 

Sounds like we have started a new activity; "How many salt shakers can you check"? :D

[Surrealistic]

Whitecap, we were on the same cruise as you, and sad to say, although we were in an extended balcony on the 5th deck, we had neighbors much like you. :( Although we didn't complain, it did inhibit the amount of time we usually spend there, and for lack of a better word we refer to this as our "hillbilly cruise" dt the content of some conversation :eek: (Think of those people of Walmart UTube videos).

We only went to two shows..............both lacking in talent (singers were terrible), but the dancers imo, exuded much energy in spite of it, and the two comedy shows we saw were funny & entertaining (both family friendly).

Our service was great, and this continues to be the reason we sail Carnival. The food in the MDR was really good and we enjoyed the steakhouse cooking demo and wine pairing very much. The weather being outstanding, you couldn't have a bad cruise, imo, and we would sail the Pride again especially after upgrades. Thanks for your honest review.

[whitecap]

Whitecap, we were on the same cruise as you, and sad to say, although we were in an extended balcony on the 5th deck, we had neighbors much like you. :( Although we didn't complain, it did inhibit the amount of time we usually spend there, and for lack of a better word we refer to this as our "hillbilly cruise" dt the content of some conversation :eek: (Think of those people of Walmart UTube videos).

We only went to two shows..............both lacking in talent (singers were terrible), but the dancers imo, exuded much energy in spite of it, and the two comedy shows we saw were funny & entertaining (both family friendly).

Our service was great, and this continues to be the reason we sail Carnival. The food in the MDR was really good and we enjoyed the steakhouse cooking demo and wine pairing very much. The weather being outstanding, you couldn't have a bad cruise, imo, and we would sail the Pride again especially after upgrades. Thanks for your honest review.

 

I do believe that during one of our neighbor's (6192) vulgar laced conversations they indicated they were from Pennsylvania but due to the content one afternoon, I thought I also heard a "banjo". :eek:

Edited September 15, 2014 by whitecap

[Rogueperson]

Well, its going to be almost a year before I board the Pride, but I will definitely check out those salt shakers.

 

Fortunately, I almost never put salt in anything, but now you've piqued my interest.

[bar1068]

Whitecap, we were on the same cruise as you, and sad to say, although we were in an extended balcony on the 5th deck, we had neighbors much like you. :( Although we didn't complain, it did inhibit the amount of time we usually spend there, and for lack of a better word we refer to this as our "hillbilly cruise" dt the content of some conversation :eek: (Think of those people of Walmart UTube videos).

We only went to two shows..............both lacking in talent (singers were terrible), but the dancers imo, exuded much energy in spite of it, and the two comedy shows we saw were funny & entertaining (both family friendly).

Our service was great, and this continues to be the reason we sail Carnival. The food in the MDR was really good and we enjoyed the steakhouse cooking demo and wine pairing very much. The weather being outstanding, you couldn't have a bad cruise, imo, and we would sail the Pride again especially after upgrades. Thanks for your honest review.

 

Hmmmm.....We were on this cruise also....Deck 5..extended balcony...but..we may have been on the non-vulgar, non-hillbilly side of the ship...aka...port side...or maybe we just chose the "correct" times to use our balcony...

[BattyL]

I'll be on the pride in 13 days and I will check the salt shakers, I don't want to eat rusted salt. Thanks for the info.

 

 

We had the same problem with the salt shakers in April. :eek:

[debbiet70611]

I was on the same cruise - had a blast - we had 3 balconies on deck 7 in various places and no one had an issue with their neighbors. Love the comedy show. Can't wait to go back after the upgrades.

 

I guess since no one really uses salt in our family - we don't even look at the salt shakers.

[WendyCn]

Those of you on the Pride with dirty cabins, would you share those cabin numbers with us. We will be sailing on her on the October 5th cruise. For the past two years cruising on Carnival we have had stewards that have been less than enthusiastic & sometimes never showed up at all. Was hoping for a better experience this time. We have seen the shows before so I think we will pass this time especially after hearing the reviews. Also, I think I heard that Roger, the piano player, is no longer on the Pride. Can anyone confirm that is the case?

[jollyholly54]

Well I found this very interesting. Well if anyone out there has played Walmart Bingo I think we all could have won it. I also had Jordan, Reynaldo, and Camilo. They were fantastic in your time dining. 5 star servers. Where were there metal salt shakers? We had ceramic ones on our table. :cool:

[Grannycb]

Well I found this very interesting. Well if anyone out there has played Walmart Bingo I think we all could have won it. I also had Jordan, Reynaldo, and Camilo. They were fantastic in your time dining. 5 star servers. Where were there metal salt shakers? We had ceramic ones on our table. :cool:

 

Our salt shakers were white ceramic. I don't use table salt so can't say what they were like in the Mermaid Grill. Most of my meals were Asian and didn't require any extra salt/soy sauce.

 

I don't remember if the show we watched was Wonderful World or Beautiful World, but the show itself was very entertaining. It was the first time we had seen it.

 

As for fellow passengers, we thought they were wonderful. Not once did we run into anyone who acted less than a professional on vacation. We even exchanged contact info with some. My only passenger complaint was the neighbors who used a bungee cord to keep their door open at night. It messed up our cabin temperature.

[whitecap]

Well I found this very interesting. Well if anyone out there has played Walmart Bingo I think we all could have won it. I also had Jordan, Reynaldo, and Camilo. They were fantastic in your time dining. 5 star servers. Where were there metal salt shakers? We had ceramic ones on our table. :cool:

 

Salt shakers were glass with aluminum caps and found both on the lido deck outside tables and buffet tables.

[elhombre]

I believe aluminum would oxidize, but not rust. I think they are chromated steel, and hence the rust. I can't imagine using salt at a restaurant often, so that is not my concern.

 

My concern is that I am the October 5th second to last cruise, and reports I read from months ago point out that no one is going to fix anything as it's due to be retrofitted starting in November.

 

I have already come to accept the room will probably be dirty with random things missing or in need of replacement. Unfortunately, this was the only date that works for us, so they are not about to clean the house before they gut it.

 

As long as the weather holds and the liquor keeps coming, I will find a way to look past the decline.

[whitecap]

I believe aluminum would oxidize, but not rust. I think they are chromated steel, and hence the rust. I can't imagine using salt at a restaurant often, so that is not my concern.

 

My concern is that I am the October 5th second to last cruise, and reports I read from months ago point out that no one is going to fix anything as it's due to be retrofitted starting in November.

 

I have already come to accept the room will probably be dirty with random things missing or in need of replacement. Unfortunately, this was the only date that works for us, so they are not about to clean the house before they gut it.

 

As long as the weather holds and the liquor keeps coming, I will find a way to look past the decline.

 

I too had a concern about cruising just before a rehab but overall the ship was in good condition and with the exception of the dusting we did in the cabin we had no other issues with the cabin or ship's facilities.

[Grannycb]

We were pleased with the overall cruise experience and wouldn't hesitate to recommend cruising on Pride to anyone. As for the ship being dirty, it wasn't. There may have been a thing or two that needed touching up in our cabin, but the ship was almost spotless otherwise. Everything was working well. I don't think you will be disappointed in your cruise right before the dry dock. I'd be back on Pride again in a heartbeat if someone wanted to pay my way. :D

Edited September 16, 2014 by Grannycb